This application claims the priority of German Patent Document 199 26 269.1, filed Jun. 10, 1999, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a protecting arrangement for the head and shoulder region of vehicle occupants in the event of a side impact or an oblique impact. Preferred embodiments of the invention relate to protecting arrangements of this type having a side air bag which can be inflated by means of a gas generator and which, in the folded condition, is stowed in the lateral roof edge area of a vehicle body and which, in the inflated condition, forms a cushion-shaped lateral impact protection device and, viewed in the driving direction, by means of its forward and rearward air bag portion, is anchored in its lower edge area by way of connection elements on one column respectively of the vehicle occupant compartment.
A protecting arrangement of this type is known from European Patent Document EP 0 814 001 A1. The air bag, which is deposited in the folded state in the lateral roof edge area, when being activated, extends from the upper roof edge area downward and, in the process, while forming an impact cushion, covers the upper door frame or window frame.
Viewed in the driving direction, the air bag is anchored by means of its forward and rearward air bag portion in its lower edge area by way of band-type connection elements on one column respectively of the vehicle occupant compartment. If, in the process, the air bag extends, for example, along the whole interior side of the vehicle, the connection elements are linked to the A-column and the C-column, their fastening point at the air bag, during the filling of the air bag by means of a gas generator, describing a circular arc around the column-side linking point of the connection elements.
As the result of the linking of the air bag to two columns of the vehicle occupant compartment, a guiding of the air bag during the filling operation which is close to the side wall is achieved, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, as the result of constricted areas of the air bag and thus as the result of a special shape of the impact cushion during the inflating and the connected shortening of the impact cushion between the two anchoring points in the longitudinal direction of the air bag, a defined course of the tension or such a tightening is achieved.
However, such a shortening of the impact cushion which, in cooperation with the connection elements, causes the tensioning of the cushion, is limited in the case of a long layout of the air bag and a shorter air bag length caused, for example, by the spacing of the A-column and the B-column.
This is the starting point of the invention. It is based on the object of indicating a protecting arrangement of the type referred to above which, in the case of any dimensioning of the air bag, ensures a tightening of the latter in the inflated condition without any additional measures, such as the special constricting, in areas, of the impact cushion or the use of a pyrotechnical or spring-force-operated tightening device according to German Patent Document DE 195 19 297 A1.
According to the invention this object is achieved by providing an arrangement of the above noted type wherein at least one of the connection elements is flexible and is guided by way of a first stationary deflection member provided in the lateral roof edge area as well as around at least one second deflection member provided on the side air bag in its lower edge area, which second deflection member is situated between the two fastening points of the connection element.
By means of the guiding according to the invention of one of the connection elements by way of a stationary deflection member provided in the lateral roof edge area as well as around a deflection member arranged on the air bag between both fastening points of the connection element, it is achieved that, when the air bag is unfolding downward when being filled with gas, the air-bag-side fastening point as well as the deflection member provided on the air bag, together, are also displaced downward relative to the stationary deflection member arranged in the lateral roof edge area. In this case, the connection element preferably forming a tightening string is tightened in the course of the activating of the air bag, in which case, as the result of the supporting of the string segment extending between the stationary upper deflection member and the column-side anchoring point by way of the deflection member fastened on the air bag, a resulting force is transmitted to the air bag, which attempts to pull the air bag in the direction of the column of the vehicle occupant compartment, at which this string segment is fastened.
In cooperation with the other connection element applied to the air bag, this results in a tightening of the air bag which fixes the air bag momentarily on the interior side wall of the vehicle occupant compartment.
The advantage of an optimally effective air bag tensioning is provided in certain preferred embodiments of the invention, wherein, in the case of the inflated side air bag, the air-bag-side and column-side fastening points the connection elements as well as its air-bag-side deflection member are situated essentially in a common horizontal plane.
Certain preferred embodiments of the invention permit the use of a tightening string of the shortest length which is important with respect to the space requirement for the folded air bag by providing an arrangement wherein the stationary deflection member provided in the roof edge area is arranged approximately in the center between the air-bag-side fastening point and the air-bag-side deflection member of the connection element.
The air bag can extend between two adjacent columns of the vehicle occupant compartment or along the area situated between the A-column and the C-column. In each case, it is advantageous to fix the connection element guided by way of the upper stationary deflection member on the vehicle occupant compartment held at the rearward column, because then the distance between the column-side fastening point and the air-bag-side deflection member can remain relatively small.
If the air bag is to be positioned only between the A-column and the B-column, an advantageous construction is obtained, wherein, by means of the side air bag, at least the side window of the vehicle occupant compartment existing between the A-column and the B-column as well as, at least in areas, the A-column can be covered because in this case an effective protection of the head is simultaneously achieved in the event of an impact against the A-column.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.